Orange Cardamom Cookies
Brad's famous Orange Cardamom Cookies
- .5 cup butter (double the butter to get thin chewy cookies that spread out like in the pic)
- .5 cup granulated sugar
- .25 cup packed light brown sugar (double the brown sugar if doubling the butter)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp orange zest (1 orange)
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 tbsp full fat plain yogurt
- .5 tsp vanilla extract
- .5 tsp orange extract
- 1.25 cup all-purpose flour
- .5 tsp baking powder
- .25 tsp baking soda
- .25 tsp ground cinnamon
- .25 tsp ground cardamom
- .25 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- .25 tsp ground cinnamon
- .25 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 cup powedered sugar
- 4 tsp meringue powder
- 5 tbsp room temperature water
- 10 drop food coloring (5 each red and yellow to make a vibrant orange)
- 1 tsp orange extract
- Brown the butter
Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Continue to cook while stirring occasionally until butter begins to bubble. A dense foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready. Take the butter off the heat when it reaches a deep golden brown and has a nutty aroma.
Original recipe creates a traditional domed cookie and cake-like texture. Doubling the butter creates thin, chewy cookies that spread more like in the picture.
- Pour browned butter into a stand mixer bowl and freeze for 15-20 minutes
Wait until butter is pliable without much liquid left, if any.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Using the stand mixer, beat together cooled browned butter, both sugars, orange zest and honey for 1-2 minutes until mixture is pale and fluffy.
Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in egg until incorporated
- Mix in yogurt, vanilla and orange extract
- Add dry ingredients and mix using a spatula until just combined.
Do not over mix!
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients for spiced sugar in a small bowl
- Remove dough from refrigerators and weigh it. Divide the weight by 15 to get the weight of each cookie.
- Weigh each dough portion, roll into a ball, then roll in the spiced sugar mixture.
These cookies will spread so no more than 8 per baking sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes rotating halfway through bake
Cookies will turn lightly golden around the edges, but slightly soft in the middle.
- Let cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Transfer cookies to wire cooling rack
- Make royal icing by combining all royal icing ingredients in a medium bowl or using your stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Once cookies are cooled, pipe icing onto cookies
This icing has a strong orange flavor so it's better to pipe a simple design. Covering the cookie with the icing will overpower the cardamom flavor.
These cookies freeze well! Once thawed they remain soft and chewy.